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Forum:Skyrim vs Xenoblade
Okay, my second Once a Month forum, even though the once a month thing kinda died. Because no one ever replied. But anyway, here we are. I could have quite easily made this a blog, but I figure this conversation will eventually get pretty intense. Now, I've been having an ongoing argument with my friends about Skyrim. I'm sick of everyone saying that it's the greatest game ever, everything else is sh*t, etc. etc. etc. I've had a discussion with a few people in the XC community before, and by the sounds of it, Skyrim is definitely overrated. Before we start, I'd like to point out that on a recent episode of Good Game, an Australian game review TV show, one of the hosts, Bajo, while reviewing the expansion pack Dawnguard said that he had only played Skyrim for 90 hours. These guys are PAID to play games. He had a couple of months off work with few other games to play (which he said), as the show doesn't run through the school holidays. I'm pretty sure everyone here has played Xenoblade for well over 100 hours. He didn't sound like he didn't have the time, rather that he exhausted the game. Now, into the discussion. I have certain issues I'd like to bring up, but I'd like your opinions first. Go. Jake! 10:21, July 24, 2012 (UTC) Well, having played hundreds of hours on both games, and being familiar to both games styles and originis, here's my two bits: I love them both, they're both in my top 15 games of all time. And I've played a LOT of games. But Xenoblade has the pleasure of being tied for first with my other favorite game of all time: Chrono Trigger. If you haven't played it, we're not friend until you do. :) That being said, for me personally, I LOVE sandbox games, but that can only get you so far. Skyrim is an epic sandbox game, and with modern settings aside (GTAIV, Saint's Row, etc.), it is absolutely unrivaled for it's time setting. The story is most definitely the best of all the Elder Scrolls games (I've put more than 200 into the 3rd and 4th, Morrowwind and Oblivion), but in the vein of the Elder Scrolls, it's not really plot heavy, but lore heavy. The story is short and sweet, but where most players will get giddy is how the lore off the Elder Scrolls universe continues to run in this game. There're even some easter egg references to past games and such. The music is on par with the last Jeremy Soule soundtracks, which is to say epic and pleasing, but for the most part background music. Lastly, the mechanics are much better than Oblivion, and I'd say the most refined of the series, enough to where it's hard to imagine what could be improved in the next one. Lastly, I must say the balance is amazing. They made the game so that no matter what tree you pick, you can conquer the world. Lockpicking? Master thief, who gets the best gear. Speechcraft? Master at persuasion. It's endless. For reference, Gamerankings (the meta ranker) gave Skyrim (PC) a 94.42%. My score - 95%. Now, Xenoblade. I can honestly say, that playing this game has bought me feelings for a video game I never thought I'd feel again. I'm a classic gamer, the majority of my favorite games are on the PS1, and I liked a time when games focused on story and character development instead of graphics. With Xenoblade, you have one of my favorite stories ever told, with so many twists at the end you'd think it was a Star Ocean game, and you get the amazing graphics! Playing this game made me ticked at every single other Wii game, thinking "Shame on you. This system has this kind of power, and you guys aren't using it. Why can't you be like your brother Xenoblade? He used his graphics to the max. Now go sit in a corner." The music was abso-friggin-lutely beautiful. Yoko Shimomura is one of my top 5 composers, but this game may have bumped her to top 3. The mechanics are this game's claim to fame, though. The "Time saving" features. Saving anywhere, fast traveling, changing the time. These are all things that make the game more enjoyable, without spitting in the face of classic RPGs. The battle system is more akin to an MMORPG, but I like those, so the system suits me, but I could see other people disliking the game's lack of MP or something, with cast moves costing it. What you have to remember, Xenoblade is a dying genre. The RPG, no less the JRPG. Now that people have Call of Shooty 16, and Batman Arkham Universe, people stick to what they know. What's casual, simple, and fun. RPGs were of the past. Stat calculating, grinding, etc. These are all terms people avoid now-a-days. It's a dying genre, but (hopefully) the nuances of Xenoblade just may have revitalized the style. Gamerankings - 91.78%. My score - 100%. Vorpal Reaper 2:35PM, July 24, 2012 (UTC) Okay, well then. Aspect battles. Story: Xenoblade definitely wins. No way Skyrim or any other Xbox/Playstation game could compare with, not with so much effort going into Graphics. Music: Xenoblade. Greatest soundtrack ever, as far as I'm concerned. Graphics: One of the topics I'm going into in depth later on. Xenoblade. I'll discuss why Xenoblade wins later, and I'll bet a lot of people will agree. Gameplay: Haven't played Skyrim, so can't accurately compare these. However, Xenoblade definitely has some excellent mechanics, and the most unique battle system I've seen. It defiitely has no lack of exploration to be had, so even if Skyrim's world is bigger I'm not complaining about Xenoblade. Although I wish I could have tried out Bionis' Shoulder... General awesomeness: Xenoblade. The fact that a game from a dying genre which I have never been a fan of can capture me so on a console which the world of gaming believes to be rubbish is... amazing. The visuals (which, again, I'll go into in depth soon) are astonishing for the Wii and put Skyrim and any other games from the big series (CoD, Battlefield, Elder Scrolls, Batman, etc.) on other consoles to shame (don't have a spaz at me, I'll explain why later). That's all for now. I'll let a few others have their say, or an oppurtunity to have their say, before I go into any specific areas. Jake! 12:00, July 25, 2012 (UTC) It's nice to see that so many people actually visit our forums and wish to engage in this conversation, which should be epic... but it ended after a couple of replies. -_- Jake! 09:43, August 6, 2012 (UTC)